Device for transferring rod-shaped articles, such as cigarettes



July 28, 1964 w s 3,142,372

DEVICE FOR TRANSFERRING ROD-SHAPED ARTICLES, SUCH AS CIGARETTES FiledDec. 19. 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 July 28, .1964

F. WIESE 3,142,372

Filed Dec. 19. 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG. 3

United States Patent 3,142,372 DEVICE FOR TRANSFERRING ROD-SHAPEDARTICLES, SUCH AS CIGARETTES Fritz Wiese, Hamburg-Lohbrugge, Germany,assignor to Hauni-Werke Korher & Co. K.G., Hamburg-Bergedorf, GermanyFiled Dec. 19, 1961, Ser. No. 160,576 Claims priority, applicationGermany Jan. 2, 1%1 Claims. (Cl. 198-34) This invention relates to adevice for transferring rodshaped articles which are moved transverselyto their length and simultaneously are displaced relatively to eachother in their axial direction, the articles comprising particularly aplurality of groups of articles used for making tobacco articles. It isimmaterial, as far as the invention is concerned, whether these articlesare axially moved toward each other or away from each other.

A particular object of the invention is to provide a device fortransferring cigarettes or filter bodies which are conveyed transversely(i.e., at right angles) to their longitudinal axes from a cutting drum,on which the cigarettes or filter rods are cut into pieces, to anassembly drum on which the mentioned articles are united to groups.

In accordance with the present invention the device for transferringrod-shaped articles consists of a plurality of rotatable circular discsprovided at their circumference with holder means for holding thearticles to be transferred. The number of said discs corresponds to thenumber of articles in a group to be transferred simultaneously. Thesediscs are loosely rotatable in planes which form with a vertical planesuch angles that after rotation of the discs about an angle of say 180the articles to be transferred are axially displaced relatively to eachother by a distance which is equal to the desired axial displacement.

It is also an object of the invention to provide the device fortransferring rod-shaped articles with means which permit an adjustmentof the articles to be transferred in axial direction so that the samedevice is suitable for different lengths of rod-shaped articles.Accordingly, in a preferred embodiment of the invention the angle ofinclination of each of the rotary circular discs with respect to thevertical plane is adjustable.

It is the advantage of the device of the invention that depending uponthe extent of the relative movement of the articles with respect to eachother it is only required to adjust the planes of rotation of thecircular discs.

With these and other objects in view as will appear hereinafter, theinvention will now be described in more detail with reference to aspecific embodiment illustrated in the accompanying drawing.

In the drawing:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation view of the transfer device with two of thetransfer discs shown in diametrical section,

FIG. 2 is a partial end view of the device, and

FIG. 3 illustrates the central portion of FIG. 1 drawn to a largerscale.

Referring to the drawing, the circular discs 6 for transferring thearticles are arranged upon a stationary common supporting shaft 25 whichhas mounted thereon a plurality of crowned or bulged bearing collars131, 132, 133 and 134 one arranged close to the other. These hearingcollars are each provided with an axially extending slot 50 so that theopen collars can be clamped in the desired position on the common shaft25. Each collar has mounted on its bulged circumferential surface a pairof axially aligned clamping parts, such as rings 51, 52 the innercircumferential walls 53 of which are inclined to the axes of the ringsand engage with the bulged shape of the collars. These two clampingrings 51, 52 are connected with each other by clamping screws 54 whichwhen tight- 3,142,372 Patented July 28, 1964 ice ened secure theclamping rings 51, 52 in the desired position on the collars and thecollars on the shaft 25. The clamping rings 51 are provided with annularshoulders 55 for receiving the inner races of ball bearings 7 and otherclamping rings 56 are used to securely attach said inner races to theclamping rings 51.

The outer races of the ball bearings 7 have attached thereto thetransfer discs 6 which are provided for this purpose with a suitableannular seat for receiving one portion of the outer races, the otherportions of which are engaged by flanged rings 6a secured to the discs 6by means of bolts 57.

Near the outer circumferential portion of each flanged ring 6a ismounted a roller 6b in the disc which is rotatable about a radial axis.The roller 6b enters into a slot 27a of a driving arm 27 which isrotatable about the shaft 25.

The adjustment for instance of the transfer disc 6 mounted on the bulgedbearing collar 133 takes place in the following manner: First of all thescrews 54 associated with the discs 6 mounted on the bulged bearingcollars 131 and 132 are loosened and these discs together with thecollars 131 and 132 are pulled off the shaft 25. Then the screws 54associated with the disc 6 mounted on the bulged bearing collar 133 aresufficiently loosened to release the clamping engagement of the parts 51and 52 and therewith the clamping engagement of the collar 133 with theshaft 25 so that not only the collar 133 with the disc 6 thereon may beaxially displaced along the shaft 25, but at the same time the disc 6may be tilted with respect to the shaft on its collar 133 to the desiredposition. When the disc 6 has been adjusted, the clamping parts 51 and52 are again clamped together by the screws 54.

In the same manner as just described the other transfer discs 6 areloosened, adjusted and clamped in their adjusted position, after thesame with their collars have been again mounted on the shaft 25. Thedisc 6 on the collar 134 may be loosened from the inside thereof,adjusted and clamped in its adjusted position.

Two examples of the manner in which the invention operates is describedas follows:

Rod-shaped articles F are supplied by a conveyor, for example a cuttingdrum (not shown) as described in Serial No. 854,770 which cuts filterrods into four severed filter plugs in the direction of the arrow A saidarticles F being arranged in close axial alignment so that each of saidarticles F is received in its respective holder means or groove on eachof said transfer discs 6 and is conveyed by said discs 6 through anangular distance of and the planes of said discs 6 forming predeterminedangles with each other so as to cause said articles F to be axiallyseparated from each other by a distance which is equal to the desiredaxial separation for transferring said articles F to their respectivegrooves on another conveyor for example an assembly drum (not shown).

Furthermore said articles F may be supplied to their respective grooveson said transfer discs 6 in the direction of arrow B axially separatedfrom each other by a distance which is equal to that desired to beconveyed by said discs 6 through an angular distance of 180 the planesof said discs 6 forming predetermined angles with each other so as tocause said articles F to be arranged in close axial alignment fortransferring said articles F to another conveyor.

Finally said articles F may also be supplied to and conveyed by saidtransfer discs 6 in the previously described manner and may be conveyedby said discs 6 through predetermined angular distances, for example 30or 60, so that said articles F in said respective grooves on said discs6 may be axially separated relaa tively from each other a distance whichdepends upon the amount of said angular distance, for example when saidamount is 30 said articles F are axially separated relatively from eachother a distance which is half of that when said amount of said angulardistance is 60 or a sixth of the distance between said axially separatedarticles F when said articles F are moved through an angular distance of180.

What I claim is:

1. A device for transferring groups of axially aligned rod-shapedarticles transversely to their length and for simultaneously displacingthe articles of such groups axially relative to each other, said devicecomprising (a) a plurality of axially spaced transfer discs, one foreach article of a group to be transferred,

(b) means for rotatably supporting said transfer discs so that the discsare free to rotate about a fixed axis in planes which form such angleswith said fixed axis that, after rotating with said discs through apredetermined angle, the articles to be transferred are axiallydisplaced by a desired distance,

() means for adjusting the inclination of said discs with respect toeach other, said adjusting means including a bearing'collar for eachtransfer discs and said discs being adjustably mounted on the respectivebearing collars so that each thereof may rotate in a selected plane,

(d) supporting means for maintaining said bearing collars in axialalignment, and

(0) means for rotating said discs at identical speeds.

2. A device in accordance with claim 1, wherein said supporting meanscomprises a shaft, and further comprising means for clamping saidbearing collars on said shaft, and means for rotatably supporting saiddiscs on said clamping means.

3. A device in accordance with claim 1, wherein said supporting meanscomprises a shaft, each of said bearing collars being provided with acrown and being mounted on said shaft, and further comprising meansengaging the crowns of said bearing collars for clamping said bearingcollars on said shaft and for rotatably supporting said transfer discs.

4. A device in accordance with claim 1, wherein said supporting meanscomprises a shaft on which said hearing collars are mounted, saidbearing collars being axially slotted for axial adjustment along saidshaft, and further comprising means for clamping said collars in thedesired position on said shaft and for rotatably supporting saidtransfer discs.

5. A device in accordance with claim 1, wherein said supporting meanscomprises a shaft on which said bearing collars are mounted, saidbearing collars being axially sloted for axial adjustment along saidshaft, and further comprising means for clamping said collars in thedesired position on said shaft and for rotatably supporting saidtransfer discs, said last named means also adjusting said transfer discsinto the desired inclined position in which they are to rotate.

6. A device in accordance with claim 1, wherein said supporting meanscomprises a shaft on which said bearing collars are mounted, saidbearing collars being axially slotted for axial adjustment along saidshaft, and further comprising means for clamping said collars in thedesired position on said shaft and for rotatably supporting saidtransfer discs, said last named means comprising a pair of clampingparts for each bearing collar and means for securely connecting theclamping parts of each pair with each other, said pairs of clampingparts engaging the respective bearing collars and clamping the same onsaid shaft and also forming an adjustable bearing for the respectivetransfer discs.

7. A device in accordance with claim I, wherein said supporting meanscomprises a shaft on which said hearing collars are mounted, saidbearing collars being axially slotted for axial adjustment along saidshaft, and further comprising means for clamping said collars in thedesired position on said shaft and for rotatably supporting saidtransfer discs, said last named means comprising a pair of clampingparts for each bearing collar and means for securing the clamping partsof each pair with each other, said pairs of clamping parts engaging therespective hearing collars and clamping the same on said shaft, and eachpair of clamping parts also forming an adjustable supporting seat for aball bearing which rotatably supports the transfer disc associated withthe respective bearing collar.

8. A device for transferring groups of axially aligned rod-shapedarticles in a direction at right angles to the common axes of suchgroups of articles and for simultaneously displacing the articles ofeach group axially with respect to each other, comprising a plurality ofaxially spaced transfer discs, one for each article of a group, saiddiscs having aligned peripheral holder means each of which is arrangedto receive an article; means for rotatably supporting said transferdiscs so that the discs are free to rotate about a fixed axis in planeswhich form such angles with said fixed axis that, after rotating withsaid discs through a predetermined angle, the articles to be transferredare axially displaced by a desired distance; and means for rotating saiddiscs at identical speeds about said fixed axis.

9. A device for transferring groups of axially aligned rod-shapedarticles in a direction at right angles to the common axes of suchgroups of articles and for simultaneously displacing the articles ofeach group axially with respect to each other, comprising a plurality ofaxially spaced transfer discs, one for each article of a group, saiddiscs having aligned peripheral holder means each of which is arrangedto receive an article; means for rotatably supporting said transferdiscs so that the discs are free to rotate about a fixed axis in planeswhich form such angles with said fixed axis that, after rotating withsaid discs through a predetermined angle, the articles to be transferredare axially displaced by a desired distance; means for rotating saiddiscs at identical speeds about said fixed axis; and means for adjustingthe inclination of the planes of said discs with respect to said fixedaxis.

10. A device for transferring groups of axially aligned rod-shapedarticles transversely to their length and for simultaneously displacingthe articles of such groups axially with respect to each other,comprising a plurality of axially spaced transfer discs, one for eacharticle of a group to be transferred and each disc having peripheralholder means for the article, the holder means of said discs beingaligned with each other; and means for rotatably supporting saidtransfer discs so that the discs rotate about a fixed axis in planeswhich form such angles with said fixed axis that, after rotating withthe holder means of said discs through a predetermined angle, thearticles of a group to be transferred are axially displaced by adistance which is equal to the desired displacement.

References Cited in the file of this patent FOREIGN PATENTS 530,362Germany u July 28, 1931

1. A DEVICE FOR TRANSFERRING GROUPS OF AXIALLY ALIGNED ROD-SHAPEDARTICLES TRANSVERSELY TO THEIR LENGTH AND FOR SIMULTANEOUSLY DISPLACINGTHE ARTICLES OF SUCH GROUPS AXIALLY RELATIVE TO EACH OTHER, SAID DEVICECOMPRISING (A) A PLURALITY OF AXIALLY SPACED TRANSFER DISCS, ONE FOREACH ARTICLE OF A GROUP TO BE TRANSFERRED, (B) MEANS FOR ROTATABLYSUPPORTING SAID TRANSFER DISCS SO THAT THE DISCS ARE FREE TO ROTATEABOUT A FIXED AXIS IN PLANES WHICH FORM SUCH ANGLES WITH SAID FIXED AXISTHAT, AFTER ROTATING WITH SAID DISCS THROUGH A PREDETERMINED ANGLE, THEARTICLES TO BE TRANSFERRED ARE AXIALLY DISPLACED BY A DESIRED DISTANCE,(C) MEANS FOR ADJUSTING THE INCLINATION OF SAID DISCS WITH RESPECT TOEACH OTHER, SAID ADJUSTING MEANS INCLUDING A BEARING COLLAR FOR EACHTRANSFER DISCS AND SAID DISCS BEING ADJUSTABLY MOUNTED ON THE RESPECTIVEBEARING COLLARS SO THAT EACH THEREOF MAY ROTATE IN A SELECTED PLANE, (D)SUPPORTING MEANS FOR MAINTAINING SAID BEARING COLLARS IN AXIALALIGNMENT, AND (E) MEANS FOR ROTATING SAID DISCS AT IDENTICAL SPEEDS.